Fire Mage-Chapter 696: Ringer’s Demiplane

Chapter 696: Ringer’s Demiplane

Charles closed his eyes and tapped into Genesis’s Wisdom Link. Within moments, the records revealed the truth. He sighed deeply.

"Heh. Executed for treason... for helping a so-called traitor, huh?" His eyes turned cold. "Tsk... Should I have razed this place after all?"

"P-Please! Have mercy, Charles!" Diego begged, bowing and slamming his head against the floor.

"Pathetic," Charles growled and kicked him hard in the chest.

Then he turned to Kyle.

"Put him in a prison cell. Lock him away for the rest of his life. Feed him the worst food once a day. Don’t let anyone speak to him. I want him to rot in silence and loneliness."

"I’ll do as you command, Your Excellency," Kyle replied with a deep bow.

Charles nodded.

"Also, no one leaves or enters the mansion until tomorrow morning. If my grandfather, Oswald, returns with Lightning Mage Rachel, let them in. No one else."

With that, his body ignited in crimson flame and vanished, leaving behind utter silence.

No one moved.

Not even a breath stirred the air for several long minutes.

...

Meanwhile, Charles reappeared on the mansion’s terrace, beside Runeth.

"My job here is almost done, old man. Once you take care of things in the Ancestral Hall, we can leave," Charles said, his gaze fixed on the distant golden palace.

"Almost done? There’s more?" Runeth asked, floating into the air as he descended from the terrace.

"Yes. I want to investigate the Ringer’s Demiplane. You know about it, right? This whole mess started because of that place."

Charles released his Wisdom Power and followed Runeth, both of them gently gliding through the air.

"Oh? Then our destination aligns. I sealed my Spell Matrix Crystal in that very dimension," Runeth replied, landing on the soft grass and glancing at the mansion’s entrance, where branch family members, guards, and servants had gathered.

"Wait... That array sealing off the Ringer’s Dimension entrance—was that your doing?" Charles asked with a frown.

"Of course it was," Runeth said calmly. "The dimension was used for planar travel by Eddie and his friends. But when Eddie entered a plane called the Fallen World, he encountered the World Devourer. He knew the risk, but his curiosity got the better of him. I did everything I could to save him, but he sacrificed himself—opened a small gap so I could escape. After returning, I severed the portal link between the Fallen World and the Ringer’s Demiplane... then sealed the entrance to Edhen World."

He turned toward Charles, his expression solemn.

"So, how do you know about it?"

"It’s a long story," Charles replied, exhaling as he began to recount everything that had happened within the Nightwind Family.

Runeth listened quietly.

"Hoo... That Diego really is a coward. When Eddie reached Legend-rank, Diego fawned over him, used him to gain the Duke title. Even after the family was demoted to Margrave over the last few centuries, I thought he only cared about status and wealth. So he was trying to steal Eddie’s belongings from the Demiplane, huh? Unfortunately... Eddie died in that cursed foreign plane and left nothing behind," Runeth said, a trace of sorrow in his voice.

"Let’s go, then. I’m curious about this Demiplane, too," Charles said as he flew toward the mansion’s right side, where a cylindrical magical tower stood. It was a seven-story structure with a domed top.

"There’s nothing particularly special about it," Runeth replied, following alongside him. "If not for my help, they wouldn’t have succeeded in creating a Planar Teleportation Array."

Soon, the two arrived before a 300-meter-tall white tower. Without hesitation, they walked up to the entrance and knocked out the guards with ease before stepping inside.

The ground floor was vast—a grand foyer with a magical chandelier hanging at the center of the ceiling, bathing the area in a soft yellow glow.

"Where’s the entrance to the Ringer’s Demiplane?" Charles asked, glancing around.

Instead of answering, Runeth simply raised his hand and pointed at the ceiling. "Teleport," he said.

In an instant, magic circles appeared beneath both of them, enveloping their bodies in white light. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

When the light faded, they stood before a mysterious portal embedded in a wall. The gate, precisely two meters in diameter, was a marvel of magical craftsmanship. Its surface was smooth, obsidian-black, cool to the touch, and covered in glowing runes that pulsed with spatial energy.

Invisible forcefields layered over the portal shimmered with hues of azure and violet, forming a translucent cocoon of swirling energy. The patterns shifted constantly, as if alive, reacting to the ambient magic in the air.

Upon closer inspection, the runes revealed themselves as part of an ancient and complex script—one humming with latent power. They pulsed softly, synchronized with the low hum that echoed from deep within the gate.

Even without activating his Wisdom Eye, Charles could tell this array—crafted from multiple engraved circles—was beyond standard norms.

"Hmm. Someone tried tampering with it," Runeth muttered, stepping forward to press his hand against the forcefield.

"It’s called the Multi-force Arcane Array. Unless you’re a Rank-7 Rune Mage, it’s nearly impossible to break. But it’s impressive—your father decoded the entire thing and even triggered the warning message I embedded."

With that, Runeth closed his eyes and began chanting in the rune language. The first forcefield layer cracked in multiple places and shattered like fragile glass, releasing dense spatial energy into the room.

Undeterred, Runeth continued his incantation, breaking through the layers one by one. When the final layer fell, the room became saturated with spatial energy, causing visible distortions in the air.

"Eltedaf!" he commanded, stepping closer to the gate.

Instantly, the surrounding spatial energy rushed toward the portal. The gate groaned, then opened wide, revealing a swirling dimensional vortex.

"This is the gateway to the Demiplane," Runeth said, stepping through.

Charles stood before the portal, eyes filled with anticipation and curiosity. The swirling energy within the vortex seemed to defy logic. Even his Wisdom Power couldn’t penetrate it. The entire area felt charged—dangerous and alive.

Runeth motioned for him to follow. Without delay, Charles stepped in.

The moment he crossed the threshold, a surge of energy enveloped him. The world bent, senses distorted. For a fleeting moment, he was adrift in a void. Then he saw light ahead and instinctively moved toward it.

A heartbeat later, Charles stood in a place unlike any he had seen before.

Darkness surrounded him. The sky overhead shimmered with countless stars and a deep, bluish, moon-like celestial body. The ground felt solid, but it pulsed with a dense, dark energy—an eerie resonance unique to this Demiplane.

Charles activated his [Dark Vision] skill—and froze.

A surreal landscape stretched out before him: fields of bizarre, glowing plants and towering crystalline structures that emitted a ghostly light. Exotic flora with translucent petals, glowing mushrooms, and shimmering spores dotted the terrain. Strange worm-like creatures writhed across the surface—on the trees, the mushrooms, even the crystals.

"This is the Ringer’s Demiplane," Runeth said, surveying the surroundings. His expression was unreadable, but his gaze was sharp with caution.

"Don’t touch the worms. Each one carries a fragment of consciousness from a fallen Dark God—Ringer. Though cast down from the divine throne and his kingdom shattered, his consciousness scattered across the universe and still lingers here."

"Oh?" Charles narrowed his eyes. "I recall hearing that name back in Miracle City."

His gaze landed on one of the worms. It was only an inch long, with a round body and a closed-eye pattern on its back.

The moment his Wisdom Power touched it, the creature stiffened—and shivered.

The closed-eye mark on its back twisted, morphing into an open eye.

Across the field, all the other worms stopped moving. In eerie synchronization, they turned toward Charles.

An unnatural stillness fell over the area. He felt it then—countless gazes boring into him. Disgust. Unease. Malice.

"Don’t lower your guard," Runeth warned. "You may be a Legend Rank powerhouse, but before a god, even one fallen, you are still vulnerable. Gods are not just powerful—they are incomprehensible. This one, Ringer, was particularly terrifying. His true form was a Mind Worm, capable of invading consciousness and even controlling other gods."

He paused, then added, "Let’s not linger. Eddie’s base is that way."

Runeth pointed to a greyish tower in the distance, more than a kilometer away, and began walking.

Charles nodded and followed, the image of those open-eyed worms still fresh in his mind. He remained alert, his mind replaying Runeth’s warning.

The Demiplane was a strange and hostile place. The ground shifted beneath their feet, and shadows danced where no light touched. Occasionally, the crystalline spires emitted haunting tones that echoed through the dark, as if whispering secrets to the void.

After a long, tense walk, they reached the tower. Unlike the pristine structure on the material plane, this one felt ancient—oppressive. The dark stone seemed to absorb the dim light around it, casting a pall over everything nearby.

"This tower once belonged to that Dark God," Runeth explained. "Eddie found it when he arrived here and claimed it as his base."

Charles studied the intricate runes etched into the tower’s surface. They were unlike the ones on the portal—different energy, deeper protection.

Without another word, they entered.

The heavy doors slammed shut behind them with a thud that echoed up the stone walls.

Inside, a bluish glow from magical lanterns lit their path. The air was dense with age, thick with magic older than any civilization Charles knew.

They ascended through spiraling staircases and narrow hallways. The ambient energy grew stronger with every step, creating an almost tangible pressure.

Finally, they arrived at the top—a vast chamber filled with arcane markings and spell arrays. In the center stood a large circular platform, glowing faintly.

But Charles’s attention was instantly drawn to the object on the altar: a head-sized crystal resting on a stone pillar.

"This is the Planar Teleportation Array Circle," Runeth said, stepping forward.